The first concept I had was the Brain Tap. A device you'd plug into your brain to tap in and make use of the unused parts of the brain. I'm kind of getting into the metaphysical here.
It's quite difficult to think of a way I can depict this concept.

Concept number 2.
Got the idea from an inventor who has built electronic circuits into little modules that you can attach to a larger circuit board like Lego blocks. They can be made into robots then programmed to perform tasks.
My adaptation of the idea: What if you could attach flesh modules to a basic metal skeleton. The modules are programmed to grow according to the programmers specifications. So you can design your own little weird looking pet by changing limbs, body shape, colour, fur, etc.

My third concept and the one I have chosen to go with is on the theme of Biological Control.

Some years ago Government scientists backed by the powerful farm lobby introduced a new species of leaf eating beetle in an attempt to combat the rapid spread of a weed, toxic and lethal to cattle. For a time it seemed to be working, there was a dramatic reduction of weeds. However, these little beetles were highly adaptable creatures and they soon took a liking to a particular native plant species, a plentiful food source. Their ally the beetle had now become their enemy and the problem only escalated.

Some years later...
With advances in genetics and nanotechnology it was now possible to control the biology of the biological control agent (the beetle).
A new release of beetles took place throughout the effected region. This batch of beetles was very different to their predecessors. A nano-bot (tinny robot) soup is squirted onto the beetles. The nano-bots then go to work, first identifying that they have the right species then building technology onto and into the beetle's bodies.
The nano-bots first objective is to build a head plate, the mechanism that integrates with the brain to controls the beetles behaviour. Now the beetles will only eat the weed they were targeted to eat.
To be effective the tecno-beetles must recruit new beetles of the same species. To do this the nano-bots build an ejection tube onto the body of the beetles. Out of this tube shoots the soup of nano-bots, ready to start the process of integrating the technology into another beetle. The beetle's bodies become a factory for building more nano-bots and so the process goes on.
All tests indicated that the beetles could be eaten by predators with no ill effect.
If the beetles leave a predetermined geographical region a kill function is activated. The beetle is killed and the technology ceases to function. This prevents the techno-beetles being introduced back into the species natural habitat.
The perfect solution???

MrFreeman

05-28-2004, 02:42 PM

Some nice concepts - I like them all, but you can have some real fun with the beetles and nanotechnology.

Great start and good luck - I look forward to seeing how the sketches / ideas develop:)

This is my first thumbnail sketch. I'm trying to get a feal for what I'm trying to depict and how I'm going to depict it. What I want is one beetle recruiting another beetle, squirting a glob of the nano-bot filled fluid from the ejection tube. I want to have a very natural setting to contrast with the technology. Beetles aren't the most dynamic creatures, so I'm going to have to change a few things to make the scene more dramatic.

This thumbnail sketch is more what I was looking for. The Bionic Beetle is now in a dominant position over its victim and this 'I hope' will make it look more powerful. With the beetle in this tilted back position I've realised that I'll have to bring in another Bionic Beetle, drawn at an angle that will actually show off the mechanical additions to the Beetle's body. I might have to work on its positioning a little to make it part of the action.

Hopefully now you can better visualise where I am going with this drawing. The Beetles standing on a branch with a rough bark texture, I've also added a bit of moss and lichen to give it age - The nano-bot fluid squirting from John's ejection tube and splattering on Paul.

I've completed laying down the flats and am now adding the contours for the light, shadow and textures.

sketchfiend

06-03-2004, 12:57 AM

Nice quick colour work and your linework is great, it has definately made it easier for you to drop in the colour. I can definately see where things will begin to take shape, should look great in the end. Goodluck and keep the updates coming.:thumbsup: :D :D :bounce:

galaxian

06-03-2004, 01:20 PM

sketchfiend: Thanks for the kind comments. :)

I've inked for a few artists, so if I had to pick a forte, I guess inking would be it. Not that I'm a strict traditionalist, but with the advent of digital inks and the focus turning more to colouring, good inking seems to have become less and less a priority as far as mainstream comic art is concerned. But so long as there are rough pencillers around and the line-art comic style subsists inkers will continue to exist in some form or another.

galaxian

06-03-2004, 02:56 PM

Beatles?!!
What in Ringo's name was I thinking!
As they say, 'Silence speaks volumes' and the silence was near on deafening.
Time to change tact, time to get hip to the groove.
People don't want to see quirky, cutesy little bugs, no matter how solid the story/concept behind it. This is about visual impact and mass appeal after all (excuse me while I slap myself around a bit). (No cynicism intended).

People want to see something with a little more Grit. Something you can get your teeth into. This, strangely enough, is the subject matter for the next concept I am working on. I'm calling it Future Eaters.

What to eat when there's nothing left to eat.
Eating to feed the machines.

galaxian

06-05-2004, 03:53 PM

The story behind the image:

Future Eaters.
Humans began to integrate intelligent machines into their bodies so that they could live longer healthier lives. They created a utopian, automated society.
That was until the planet entered a phase of instability. Massive volcanic eruptions filled the skies with ash and almost blocked out the sun. The planet turned cold and dark. Not enough food could be grown to feed all the people and many were pushed to the fringes of civilisation where a bleak future awaited them. The machines that dwelled within the bodies of these poor soles were tasked with keeping humans alive and they also began to learn that if the people die they too would perish. The machines began to modify the bodies of their hosts unchecked, taking over the functions of internal organs and patching up injuries with cybernetic additions. The fringe dwellers could now consume anything that could be converted into sustenance and energy by the machines and used to keep the body functioning.
Life for the hosts became androgenous and disconnected. They were prisoners within their own bodies.

A change in concept, neat...., As always your line work is sweet, Keep the updates coming im looking forward to more naked chicks....opps, i meant future eaters .:bounce: :beer: :thumbsup: :D hehehehe, great work bud, keep it up.:beer:

spacesnail: I was thinking of having the background quite dark with the light peeking out from the horizon, then layering some snow sweeping across the landscape.
I'll probable have to cool down the darker skin tones. I'll give it some thought.

I better post this final image now to stop myself from fiddling around with it any more. I think Iíve stayed fairly true to my original concept.

BlackLight

06-17-2004, 11:48 PM

Congratulations on finishing in time, even after changing tack near the end! It's a nice strong image with a great inking style.

galaxian

06-18-2004, 03:42 AM

Thanks BlackLight.
It's a little unfortunate that these line-art illustrations don't compress as well as other images. I had to compress the heck out of it to get it under 150k.
I wasn't initially going to be so bold with the colours but I figured this kind of pic aint about subtlety, so I went mad.

rol56

06-20-2004, 04:49 PM

congrat man great work:thumbsup:

MrFreeman

06-22-2004, 08:55 PM

:applause: Good to see you finished the piece...

Really bold and dynamic style..Good to see something original and unlike other works in the challenge

Good luck in the contest and see you in the next :applause: :applause: :thumbsup:

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